The Vault Dwellers bodyguard
by silver-fox89
Summary: Charon and Rachael were all each other had in the capital wasteland, a loyal ghoul bound to protect her by his contract. Rachael doesn't think of him as merely a body guard and aims to reveal her deepest thoughts, for he could die any day. CharonX OC.


The Vault Dweller's Bodyguard

_ Author's note; I've spent at least two months addicted to Fallout 3, and now on my second play through with Charon as my follower I must write a fiction dedicated to the most awesome ghoul ever (besides Gob). Rachael, who is my avatar in the game and featured in a Silent Hill fiction I wrote, will be the vault dweller in this piece. This is a one shot and I hope you all enjoy since I haven't written in a while. Fallout 3 is claimed by Bethesda. Warning, spoilers from the Broken Steel expansion are at the beginning._

Her consciousness faded in and out of reality, struggling to stay awake. Outside the metal walls she heard the blades of the stolen Enclave helicopter whirring; Sarah Lyon's face came into blurry view, her concerned eyes gazing at young Rachael, the lone wanderer from vault 101. She couldn't remember when the Enclave's rocket had come flying at her, barely hearing the ear shattering explosion that went off a few feet from her head, or feeling the debris collide painfully with the side of her skull. Even through all the chaos she came out victorious, the codes to destroy the enemy's mobile battle station put in the computer and the warheads raining from the sky ten minutes later. The brotherhood of steel were more than overjoyed with their victory, the vault dweller, Sarah Lyons and a small group of nights enjoying the hum of the aircrafts engine as they flew back to the Citadel.

Rachael awoke abruptly, never recalling falling asleep so fast, but she now figured a few hours had gone by since she was on a medical gurney, the dark of night showing through the small window. She held the front of her head to try and stop the throbbing, suddenly remembering someone very important was missing; Charon, her ghoul bodyguard who followed and aided her no matter where she went, was nowhere to be seen. She had told him to wait in the control tower before she ran headlong across the airstrip that was nothing but a hellfire of Enclave ammunition. Rachael was only trying to protect Charon by leaving him in there until she came back, knowing too well that the ghoul would have only run headlong into the shots to try and kill every bastard there, but the ghoul was so loyal that he most likely remained in the tower, even when the bombs fell and destroyed everything.

"Charon? Charon!" her voice raised to a panicked tone, loud enough to pierce through the sick bays thick steel door and catch the nearby doctor's ear.

"Nurse come quickly, it sounds like our hero has awoken." He said opening the sliding door with a metallic screech. They got in just in time to see Rachael sliding off the side of the gurney, stumbling off balance when her injured knee failed to support her. The doctor grabbed her upper arm firmly, placing her to sit back down on her former bed only to receive a slight elbow to the ribs, a spiteful glare scorning the young woman's features.

"If you even try to sedate me you'll lose the hand that holds the needle." She threatened both the doctor and nurse with the single sentence, the two knowing all too well that she meant what she said; even though she had aided them it didn't hide the fact that she was foul mouthed, deceptive and evil, the very opposite of what her father had raised her to be. Elder Lyons walked in, he happened to be coming down the hall when all the screaming began.

"Relax my dear; there is no need to be angry. You just saved the Capital Wasteland; the threat of the Enclave is no more because of you. You're a hero and I'm proud to make you an honorary member of the Brotherhood." He said a smile tugging the edges of his aging face; Rachael's expression was a mix of anger border lining sadness.

"None of that means a thing to me you old coot, I'm no hero! Its Charon you should be praising, without him I would have been dead a long time ago. He went into the irradiated room at project purity and stopped it from exploding, he covered my back when every bastard and his brother in the wasteland were out to kill, rape or torture me. And you Brotherhood of Steel assholes left him to die! It's because he's a ghoul right? that's why you ignore him!" she felt like it took forever to vent, her lungs out of breath when she stopped, tears beginning to sting her eyes. Elder Lyon's didn't yell back, he didn't ask her to leave or make any sort of rude comment after her verbal onslaught. Instead he very calmly said one sentence.

"I'm sorry you see us that way, if your father saw you now, what would he think about his daughter judging others so quickly?"

"Don't you fucking dare bring my father into this! He's dead because of you, because he wanted to help all of you!" the only other time anyone had seen Rachael that infuriated was when she was blowing off a raiders head after they'd shot at her. Footsteps, the clack sounding a lot like heavy boots and moving in the rhythm of long strides, echoed in the hall outside, getting closer to the doctor's office and catching the elder's attention. When he saw who had arrived he stepped aside, the newcomer's presence turning Rachael's expression from lethal to bewildered. His tufts of red hair, patches of exposed muscle and veins due to slow deterioration brought on by radiation, and a slight scowl that never seemed to leave his nose less face; it was Charon in the flesh, and the lone wanderer didn't know what to say. He sighed deeply, muttering something as he always did before stepping towards his employer.

"Sometimes I think you go too far over the edge with things smooth skin. I'm not dumb enough to let a missile bombardment kill me. The Brotherhood grabbed me before we came to get you; they're not as bad as I initially thought but I still don't trust them." He said in his raspy throat, like the type a heavy smoker would have gained.

"Charon...I..." she couldn't think of what was appropriate to say, glancing past his six foot exterior to see Elder Lyons begin to leave; he turned partially to the side, one last sentence left to say to her.

"You're always welcome at the Brotherhood, despite what you may think of us." He left without looking back, knowing full well that Rachael was giving him death stares again. She had only just woken up and already she felt exhausted. Grabbing her Raider sadist armour and belongings from the corner, she adorned them over her torso, the upper part of which was only covered by bandages, and walked swiftly past her bodyguard, not looking back because she knew he'd always be following right behind her.

"Let's go back to Megaton; I'm sick of this shithole. Their mission is complete and I don't want anything to do with them anymore." She had gained a tough exterior due to the hard living conditions of the wasteland, but Charon knew after all this time that it was only to hide the pain that was inside, the one that the world around her constantly inflicted with their judging eyes.

Megaton, Moriarty's saloon- 7:30PM

Smelling like alcohol and stale sweat, Moriarty's was only good for one thing and it wasn't the decor; it was his seemingly unending supply of booze that kept the megaton residents coming back for more. The usually slow paced bar seemed busier that night, with practically every stool filled and those who couldn't grab one were leaning against the wall chatting casually. They were all celebrating the good news that clean water was starting to work its way back into the wastes; it was Three Dog who had gotten a hold of the news, broadcasting it through the radio loud and clear, although he praised the brotherhood as a whole and didn't once mention Rachael's struggle. She was seated at a corner stool, her short black strands of hair creating a curtain around tired eyes.

"Now it's time for the latest news on the marauder of the wastes; that bitch from vault 101..." she blocked Three Dog's increasingly irritating voice as it continued to blare through the radio. She couldn't help but feel a slight bit of pain from being called a bitch by the DJ, the feeling smothered quickly by anger to protect herself.

"Self proclaimed asshole." She muttered under her breath. She would have smashed the machine, but she knew it was Gob's favourite thing to listen to and she liked the bar tending ghoul too much to crush his already beaten spirit.

"I'm glad to see you again, are you alright." She looked forward to see Gob looking on with concern, wiping down the counter in his usual fashion.

"Don't worry Gob; I just had a really rough mission. Charon and I almost didn't make it out alive." She said. He slid his hand forward on top of hers, grateful that she just looked at it and didn't hit him.

"Are you sure that's all, I usually see you come back from missions with a look of accomplishment. Is there something you're not telling me?" he considered Rachael one of the few smooth skins who cared enough about whom he was not how he looked, making her in a way like a friend. She'd been kind and understanding since the first day she came to Megaton.

"I...I just don't..." she didn't like feeling emotionally out of control, but she had someone watching over her who saw the signs of uneasiness and stepped in to intervene. Gob looked up when someone cleared their throat rather roughly, seeing the much larger ghoul Charon glaring down at him.

"She doesn't want to talk about it." That's all he had to say to get the smaller ghoul to back up. Charon never truly liked Gob; in his eyes the barkeep was constantly trying to win his employers heart, and for some unknown reason that irritated him to no end. He looked down, saw that Rachael had gone back to thinking, and returned to his spot on the wall nearby. She was just about to take another swig of Vodka when someone came through the front door who she despised most of all; Jericho, a retired raider with a foul mouth and even worse attitude. Usually he'd come in and get chatted up by every person he walked near, but this time he made a bee line to where she was sitting.

"Well well, look who's come to grace us with her presence; the fucking hero of the post apocalypse herself." His tone was mocking, not a word of what he was saying intended on being those of praise.

"Go feed yourself to the super mutants, asshole." She avoided eye contact, still feeling slightly intimidated even after the first introduction, which was no less rude than the current exchanging of words. He shocked even her when he grabbed her collar roughly and yanked her to her feet, staring with brows furrowed at her equally pissed visage.

"I've put up with your lip since the first day you set your filthy foot in this town vault dweller, and you've only gotten worse over time like piss in a glass bottle. You may think you're tough shit but I can see right through you; you're all show, trying to hide the weak little girl behind evil deeds! You disgust me." Jericho shook her slightly and she wasn't about to let him push her around. With a deep inhale, she spat directly into his eye, watching him seethe and wipe the goo from his face.

"Stupid bitch, I'll kill you for that!" he pulled his free arm back and before she even realised it, she was down on the ground from a single blow, the right side of her face throbbing. She wanted to cry and yell in rage all at the same time when she turned back; all the other bystanders in the bar were watching now, a crowd too scared to dare step in. Jericho took one step forward before a larger figure tackled him hard to the ground with an almost bestial growl. The two figures rolled a few times, but it was Charon who overpowered him; sitting on his chest kept the ex raider in place while the ghoul delivered furious punches to his head. When he saw that Jericho no longer resisted, his head on its side and groans replacing words, Charon pulled out his combat knife expecting to kill the bastard for threatening his employer. Instead he froze every muscle in his body when he heard a shotgun other than his own being cocked, the barrel poking into his upper back.

"I think its best you and your lass leave here zombie, before things get too out of hand." Moriarty, the Irish owner of the bar, had a stern yet obviously vicious tone when he spoke, and Charon decided to leave peacefully or not at all. He sheathed his weapon and got up, following Rachael who had made it to the door despite being off balance. The metal boardwalks that attached many buildings to one another clanked under their feet, Rachael's steps clumsy as she swayed from side to. She stopped abruptly and he watched in silence from a few feet behind, her form hunching over before she was ill all over the ground. He grew concerned and walked up to her side, seeing her small hands clutching at the bandages on her head while her face twisted in pain. In the moonlight he could see black liquid seeping through the cotton wraps; her head wound had reopened slightly, the trauma causing her illness.

"Shit this is serious, we got to get you to your house." He said slinging one of her small arms over his shoulder for support. He could see the shack from where they were the walk less than five minutes away.

'Damn that asshole raider.' He was still thirsting to spill the bastard's blood, it was like and intoxicating addiction; but he was beginning to question if he did these things because it was in the contract he was bound to, or because he truly cared for the smooth skin that held it. He didn't want to distract himself with inner conflict, his job right now was making sure his employer wasn't about to die.

Megaton, Rachael's Shack- 9:30 PM

His hands busy with keeping Rachael upright, Charon was forced to use his foot to kick the door open. She was struggling just to keep her eyes open and the ghoul didn't like the way she turned pale in a matter of seconds. Dogmeat, a stray black and white mutt with the features of a German shepherd and a very unique set of eyes, one blue and one brown, stood up to greet his master. He sniffed the air and whined knowing right away she wasn't well; Charon only muttered something about a stupid beast while carefully picking Rachael's small body in his arms and proceeding up to her bedroom. Like most beds in the wasteland, hers was a semi dirtied mattress on a bed frame, old springs making a fuss when she was put on the piece of furniture. Without hesitation he pulled a stimpak from the desk, positioning the needle close to her temple with his thumb ready on the plunger. He knew she hated having to use the needles for anything and this area was especially tender; the pain brought her out of a daze long enough to cry out. He released its contents and she quieted down, the powerful medicine doing its job and fixing the open sore.

"Stay here and rest, I think you've had enough action for one week. If you need me I'll be downstairs." He said, breathing a secret sigh of relief when he saw her breathing had returned to normal, a slight tilt of the head being all she could manage for an answer. His boots drew farther away, Rachael shedding a tear through closed lids when she was sure she was alone; she wasn't just suffering from physical pain, all the trials the cruel world was throwing at her were taking their toll. Sometimes she even wondered if it would have been better to stay in the vault, then maybe she wouldn't have become a monster.

'If I had stayed there... I would have lived a lie until the day I passed away. I would have never been able to help dad...and I would never have met...have met...' her thinking faded with the exhaustion that brought sleep at last, her consciousness never noticing the transition.

_ Her hands were covered in blood, heart pumping fast and limbs shaking; it was that rushing feeling, the kind she was sure vicious dogs felt when they took down unsuspecting prey. She had just finished a terrible deed, killing a ghoul named Greta by beating her senseless with a pool cue right outside of the doors to Underworld, the city within a history museum that a population of ghouls called home. There was purpose behind this killing, or at least that's what she told herself. Azrukhal, owner of the Ninth circle bar, wanted the waitress dead so he'd have less competition, and in return he had a very good offer. She did the terrible deed and no one saw a thing, wiping her hands clean before going to deliver Greta's key to Azrukhal. The sleazy bar keep grinned from cheek to cheek when he saw the vault dweller return, her dirtied face sporting speckles of new blood which belonged to his target._

_ "Did you do it? Do you have the key?" he didn't bother hiding his eagerness._

_ "I fucking got my hands dirty for you so you'd better give me my reward, here." She haphazardly tossed him the key, his dried, peeling hands catching it in midair._

_ "Ah very good, thanks to you I should be having more customers very soon. As promised here's Charon's contract, I'll let you go give him the good news." he said turning his back soon after. She felt like what she did was wrong but at the same time she told herself it was a part of surviving in the wastes, and to do that she would need some extra firepower. Charon, a ghoul with well plated leather armour and tufts of blood red hair, stood in a corner he deemed his own for decades, arms crossed over his chest to show that he wasn't open to conversation. The smooth skin who tried to talk to him earlier walked up again and he grumbled, preparing to discourage her from talking._

_ "Go talk to Azru-"_

_ "Nope, none of that. You are under my employment now." She said smirking a little while holding his contract up for him to see._

_ "You purchased my contract from Azrukhal?" he was a little bewildered, no one had ever been able to purchase the precious document for decades and yet the stranger who crawled out of a hold did it within a few hours. But by the way she lowered her head after he mentioned purchasing; he was guessing the bastard had her do something worse to obtain his ownership._

_ "I see, then this means I am no longer bound to Azrukhal. Wait here a moment." He walked in long strides towards the bar while she watched on in silence, wondering just what he had to do. The two exchanged a few words and faster than she could blink, Charon pulled the combat shotgun off his back and blew Azrukhal's head clean off his shoulders, pumping two more rounds into his torso before walking just as calmly back to her._

_ "Ok let's go." he said rather bluntly._

_ "Whoa hold on a second, what just happened here?"_

_ "Azrukhal was a manipulative, evil bastard and I was exacting my revenge after years of putting up with his torment and humiliation." To anyone else it would have sounded like Charon was just making an excuse, but Rachael found reason to make a lot more sense than half the things people she'd come across in her early weeks had said._

_ "Ok, let's head to Megaton, I have a date with an atom bomb." She said._

_ "And I shall follow." She could tell already that no matter what he would be loyal, and in return for his protection she would make sure to watch his back. Secretly she had a feeling that being bad wouldn't matter, so long as one person would always have her back._

__

It hurt to move and her mouth felt like it was full of sand when she groggily came out of sleep, no more than two hours passing when the dark of night remained to greet her, only there was a sound tapping against her window that's she'd never heard. Pushing the tattered curtains aside she saw droplets of water hit the dirtied glass, sliding down to the windowsill in streams. She had read about this in her books about weather of the years gone by, it was rain, but it hadn't fallen on the wasteland since the nuclear war had turned grass into ash and dead earth.

"Is this all because of project purity?" her voice was croaked and she coughed lightly, a bottle of purified water sounding very tempting. Her legs swung over the edge of the bed and her feet felt the cool metal ground under them. Standing was more difficult than she thought, her legs still weak and head a little unbalanced. The walls acted as her brace as she made her way down the steel stairs. On her old couch sat Charon, his metal parts on his armour removed and leather jacket opened while he cleaned and repaired his faithful shotgun, Dogmeat asleep at his feet. He glanced up when Rachael made her way to the small corridor she called a kitchen, not bothering to hurt her pride by escorting her for every little thing but still keeping a close eye from afar. Twisting the cap off her plastic bottle, her lips and throat were met with cool relief that helped to brighten her spirits just a little, even though a nervous twitch that hadn't left since she woke up; she had something on her mind for quite a while, something important to say, and after recalling that memory she had to tell him that night for any day he could die and she'd regret holding her tongue.

Her steps were light, too quiet due to all the sneaking practice she'd developed in order to sneak up on enemies, and Charon didn't know she was there until she sat next to him. Small clinks from his tinkering and the patter of rain filled in for the thick silence, Rachael pinching the bridge of her nose when another painful headache threatened to make her ill.

"You should be resting." He wasn't even looking at her and he knew she wasn't feeling entirely well.

"I'm better now, really. Besides, I had something I've been meaning to tell you." She said, his only response a grunt while he looked into the barrel of his gun.

"I never really got to thank you Charon, for all the times you've protected me. From the first day we travelled across this post apocalyptic hellhole, you've saved my ass more times than I can count. Without you I'd be dead, and I just want you to know I appreciate you." She said. Charon placed his now fixed weapon on the floor, slowly turning to make eye contact. Inside he was a little confused about how he should react; never had any of his employers actually cared about his work, or better yet who he was.

"You're saying this because you're afraid you won't get the chance again, you're worried about me after the last mission aren't you. Well there's no need, I'm quite capable of defending myself; and you don't have to thank me, I protect you with full force because that is my obligation stated in the contract you hold." He sounded as calm and monotone as he always had, expression staying the same way. She looked away, feeling her brows turn in such a way that even he would have seen a look of disappointment.

"Yeah...I-I guess that was the only reason. You're just my hired hand, nothing more." She should have known he couldn't feel what she had grown to feel for him; ghouls may still have been people on the inside, but Charon had been a hired hand for killing for so long that maybe his other emotions were shoved into the back of his mind.

"I can hear the upset in your voice, what did you really want to discuss with me Rachael?" she blinked a few times in bewilderment, never had she ever heard him actually say her name even after working together for a whole year.

"The truth is, after all we've been through, the hard and easy times, I feel like I-

"I'm not allowed to have relations with my employer." He cut her off and that was the last straw for her. The calm, loving Rachael that hadn't come out since her father died was pushed back and her usual mean streak returned.

"And I suppose you're going to tell me it's not in your contract right! God Damnit Charon, I know you were brainwashed to obey who ever holds the thing but I know you can still think and feel for yourself! For once just put aside the contract and tell the truth, what you really think of me!" she practically growled when she spoke and he only glared back.

"You want to hear the truth, hear it is rearing its ugly head! I think..." he could see her face remained strong looking, even though past her brown eyes her soul couldn't take more heart break; luckily that's not what he was dealing.

"...that you're a beautiful young smooth skin, who has many years ahead of her in this place. You deserve someone better than me." He couldn't look at her anymore, feeling ashamed that he'd even told he that sentence. Something soft and warm touched the exposed muscle of his forearm, her hand.

"Charon, don't be naive. There's no one out there who truly respects or understands me the way you do." She spoke softly once again, but he didn't know how to react, pulling his arm from her hand slightly and shifting away. He was no good at deterring her, not when she was in need; after doing as she said for so long it was a hard habit to break. With a grunt from moving her aching muscle, her arms slid around his neck, her cheek pressed against his.

"You're handsome in my eyes." She whispered, his resistance fading with the comforting feeling the gracious comment gave him; the more he thought about it, the more it seemed probable that the reason he now threw himself in front of death was because he cared about her, no longer just obeying his contract.

"I don't want you to be disappointed." It was his final warning.

"I won't." Rachael and Charon both knew where this would lead, the former vault dweller shifting to sit in his lap. He stroked aside some short strands of hair, brushing grime off of her tender, bruised cheek.

"That bastard Jericho's going to pay for that." Charon had wanted to kill him but there were too many witnesses with guns around. Rachael leaned in, giving the flesh and muscle of his strong neck a soft kiss that sent a tiny shiver down his back. She now had his torso in her embrace, his unsure hands mimicking and doing the same. He rested his peeling cheek atop her head, eyes closing for a rare moment of relaxation that he rarely got. Rachael's left hand slipped to the base of his skull, holding him where she wanted so she could kiss him deep on his chapped lips. He had forgotten why the ghoul species had called them smooth skins after saying it so much; now he could feel how soft she was and he was curious and hungry for more. She parted but it was Charon who pulled her back in for seconds, Rachael feeling her stomach jump in a pleasant way at the returned affection. The hand that wasn't stroking her bodyguard's neck found the edge of his leather jacket, sliding the opened piece of clothing off his sinewy shoulders and onto the couch. He pulled back and looked at the pile of leather, glancing back at her eyes that trailed down to her torso; she nodded knowing exactly what he was asking. Only wearing her tank top and shorts that she considered underwear, he had no difficulty lifting it over her head, gazing for a moment at the complete, smooth flesh before him; he started to feel a little ashamed of the half rotting torso he hid under his clothes. She could see the emotion in his eyes, stroking his cheek to try and reassure him; he only looked at her silently.

Regardless of what he saw in his body, she took his shirt off to see what she was always curious about. Just like his face and arms, his body was missing patches of skin in odd places, exposing lean muscle and large veins to the elements, but it didn't gross her out like it would have other people. Her small finger tips glided over one of his open abdominal muscles, hardened due to all the exercise that came with guarding, feeling the pulse of a vein run fast and hot; he was anxious like her but his face hid it well. Rachael yelped for a second, never noticing Charon's calloused palm brushing over the underside of her breast before cupping it, a resounding groan breaking the silence and making the young woman smirk; he was finally getting used to his feelings. She took it upon herself to remove what little clothing was left on her, sitting back down on Charon's lap to receive a single strong hand massaging the back of her stiff neck. He was glad that she was enjoying his touch, not showing any signs of forced affection; she ever leaned back into his hand, a light moan stirring something in his gut just from hearing it. When the armour plating on his legs began to make her posterior ache, she went for his buckle to remove them, his hand quick and firm on to p of her to stop it.

"You may like the muscle I'm sporting up top but trust me, down there may be a disappointment."

"I've had a year of heart ache and disappointment, don't take me for some light hearted sissy." She said. That was one of the features Charon adored about her, her spunk. He sighed, letting go and just watching as she unclasped the buckle, standing up and tugging the armoured pants away; what was there wasn't what she expected. It still resembled the body part it was, much of the skin peeled away and somewhat scarred, but she could see blood flow was not hindered by the way it was beginning to grow. She wasn't disgusted, she was concerned.

"Does it hurt at all?"

"No, it can't be used to reproduce but it's not falling off. Considering what's happened to the rest of my kin I consider myself fortunate." He said, watching her gently sit back on his now bare leg, the feeling of her soft, warm flesh more than enjoyable.

"You shouldn't have had to go through ghoulification. You're too good a person." She said pulling him against her, his arms lacing about her hips and buttocks.

"As long as someone can see me for what I am, I don't feel like I've lost anything." he rotated out of a sitting position to lay the smaller woman underneath him, careful to support his own weight and not put pressure on her still healing areas. Shyly her heel slid over his lower back, wordlessly urging him to pull his hips closer and he obeyed. It only took seconds for Charon to enter her, the feeling of warm flesh over his most sensitive area after being absent of it, sent the deepest moan through his throat, Rachael's hitched breath the response she gave to a sudden sharp pain that came with accommodating to him. The soft grey of lights outside in Megaton were calming with the shadow of still falling rain on the window; it was a beautiful sight but the two wanderers could care less, Rachael's head on Charon's shoulder with face towards the ceiling, eyes shut when she only wanted to feel him. He was the same only facing towards the couch cushions, one sinewy arm holding her against him while the other continued to hold him up. It was a slow dance of two beaten souls, the ghoul keeping a steady pace that was not too fast to hurt his employer. She would place soft kisses on his cheek every so often, feeling it was the only thing she could do to show how much she truly appreciated him since love making had sent quite a clear message.

Soon their activity drew to a close when Charon felt Rachael's young insides tighten around him. A few well aimed pushes and he hit the right spot, his now lover's cry quieted when she bit lightly into his shoulder, a grunt and a kiss on her lips his finishing action as he pulled back enough to separate. She didn't want to move, body even more exhausted then when she was travelling around for hours; Charon lay on his side, body keeping her warm in the already stuffy shack.

"Do you still think I'm handsome, or was that you're hormones talking." He mumbled into her collar bone, his sarcastic tone hard to hear unless you really knew him. She smiled warmly, something that Charon thought he'd never see since her father passed away.

"You're always handsome in my eyes. I hope I can be your employer until the day I die." She whispered stroking his broad chin tenderly, receiving a tight hug that she snuggled into for well needed sleep.

"I think I'd like that." He also found himself spent, cradling her head under his jaw and closing his eyes. Even breathing and rainfall created a harmonious lullaby that would carry them through the rest of the night.

The Capital Wasteland- three days later...

A raider ran towards Rachael with nothing more than a tire iron, the young woman blowing his head clean off with a single shot from her sniper rifle.

"Better him than me." Charon said slinging his combat shotgun over his back. Rachael looked back at him, smiling and running backwards to watch him follow her.

"We better not waste time; I want to reach Girdershade by nightfall." She was back to business as usual, searching for missions to complete and make more money but it was a routine he would never get tired of. As long as she continued to fight he would be there, watching her back and knowing she did the same for him. He snapped out of his daze and kept pace with his mistress, readying his combat shotgun and lining up another raider who dared to sneak up on Rachael.

"I've got your back!" he said out loud 'for the rest of my days.' He finished in his thoughts as a telltale shotgun blast marked another dead bastard; another day in the life of a loyal bodyguard.

_I'm back baby, after several months of staying off of fan fiction writing. I wrote this fiction as a tribute to Charon and Fallout 3 alike. I hope you all enjoyed this one shot and please feel free to leave reviews and comments because I like to hear what you thought. Thanks for reading _


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